Stratosphere jumper delivers priceless information to scientists

Austrian extreme skydiver Felix Baumgartner leaped to Earth from the stratosphere. He landed safely in the New Mexico desert. His jump set three world records at once: the highest flight on the stratosphere balloon, the highest parachute jump and fastest free fall. The Austrian man became the first parachutist, who broke the sound barrier.

As stated on the website of the organizers jump, Baumgartner ascended to the altitude of about 38.6 kilometers in a space capsule which was attached to the balloon. A special suit was designed for the flight to control pressure and maintain the required level of oxygen and temperature. Felix Baumgartner would have lost consciousness without such equipment in the stratosphere immediately.

The jump, which was broadcast online, ended successfully. The entire flight took about 10 minutes, whereas the free fall lasted for 4 minutes and 20 seconds.

Forty-eight seconds after the jump, the speed of Baumgartner's fall exceeded 1,193 kilometers per hour - the speed of sound in normal conditions. The maximum speed, which the daredevil has been able to reach during the fall, was about 1,342 kilometers per hour.

Baumagartner has broken the record of Joe Kittinger, who jumped from the air balloon basket at an altitude of 31 km in 1960. The trick led the ranking of most crazy jumps in history. Thanks to the courage of the Austrian athlete, scientists will now be able to obtain unique information on how the human body reacts to supersonic speed, reports NTV.